Dear Editor:
In the sixth major Liberty State Park commercialization battle, people fought with wisdom and passion for a free garden park, sacred public land, next to Miss Liberty. The powerful and outraged voice of New Jersey citizens defeated the horrendous privatized waterpark plan for the perimeter of the interior’s emerging natural area. I thank all the individuals and groups who joined in the grassroots battle to stop the waterpark, which would have destroyed the park with traffic jams and taken away scarce urban open space.
Based on the NJDEP January 27 public meeting, attended by over 500 people and the written communications to Trenton, the DEP’s Public Response summary stated that the logical conclusion from the public comments is that there is overwhelming public support for open, green space for unstructured recreation. The Friends worked with the LSP Conservancy, NJ Audubon Society and the NJ Sierra Club to alert our state’s residents, and we were joined on a letter by 40 other local, regional and statewide civic and environmental organizations, whose memberships total tens of thousands of people.
The recent war can be summed up by the question on a sign at the public meeting, “What part of OPEN SPACE don’t you understand?” JC Mayor Bret Schundler, until three days before the public meeting, joined the park’s Development Corporation, which should be abolished, in promoting the waterpark plan and arrogantly casting aside the 25 year history of the strong public consensus for free parkland. The mayor had asserted that the waterpark would boost Hudson County tourism by drawing from the millions of NYC tourists. In a taped January press conference, he said that he had “no problem” with the privatized waterpark, and that the traffic it caused “would hardly be noticeable at all.” His biased mailing to 50,000 residents and newspaper ads were paid for by the taxpayer.
I feel it is important to thank people in the public arena, officials and candidates, who saw the park in danger and expressed opposition to the waterpark. They include: Congressman Bob Menendez, State Senator Bernard Kenny, Assemblyman and Bayonne Mayor Joe Doria, County Exec. Bob Janiszewski, Freeholder Bill O’Dea, JC mayoral candidates Bob Cavanaugh, Glenn Cunningham, Gerry McCann and Lou Manzo, and JC council candidates Yvonne Balcer (who created the Friends website), Arnold Bettinger, Guy Catrillo, Councilwoman Mary Donnelly, Geoffrey Elkind, Frank Falcicchio, Steve Pinkney, Harold Ross, Councilman L. Harvey Smith and Jaime Vazquez. Our appreciation also goes to Ken McNamara, representative of the Communications Works of America, Local 1037; to Alan Pollack, who videotaped the public meeting; to Rafael Torres, who created our traffic jam artwork, and to The Hudson Reporter staff writer, Jonathan Miller for his fair coverage. The second public meeting with more specific ideas for the perimeter acreage may occur this June.
Sam Pesin, President
The Friends of Liberty State Park